A prominent Orthodox rabbi and psychologist has been intimidated into quitting as head of a just-formed task force dealing with rabbinic sex abuse of minors, organized by Assemblyman Dov Hikind this week.

Dr. Benzion Twerski told The Jewish Week Wednesday that he was quitting the task force because “I was prosecuted in the street for daring to join such a venture.”

That’s the question being asked in some circles after a ban issued by 33 fervently Orthodox rabbinic authorities forced the cancellation of a major charity concert slated to feature chasidic singing sensation Lipa Schmeltzer this week at the WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden.

Thursday, February 26th, 2009
(Because of a formatting error on the main site, here’s a corrected version of this week’s “Edge of Town” column).
Uncanny Tales Of Survival
“Small Miracles of the Holocaust,” and the mysteries of coincidence
by Jonathan Mark

Friday, June 27th, 2008
My uncle, Milton Samuel Mark, died of AIDS a while back, from a blood transfusion given to him in a Bronx hospital, so I take the AIDS issue seriously and with some measure of resentment.

Chasidic residents of Williamsburg and Borough Park are currently battling two dangerous disease outbreaks — a minor spread of the measles and a more serious eruption of the intestinal infection Shigella.

Rabbi Elimelech Schachter, a faculty member at the Yeshiva University rabbinical school for nearly 50 years, died Feb. 26 in Borough Park. He was 93.
Rabbi Schachter served as professor of rabbinics at the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary and taught at many divisions of YU, mentoring generations of rabbinical students. He was the author of “The Babylonian and Jerusalem Mishnah and wrote several rabbinic opinions and scholarly articles.

Is Bruce Teitelbaum, the mayor’s chief of staff, sending out peace feelers to acquitted Assemblyman Dov Hikind?
During Hikind’s two-year fight against federal bribery charges, the Brooklyn Democrat more than once laid the blame for his prosecution at Teitelbaum’s feet, though he publicly never cited him by name. Teitelbaum vigorously denied any involvement in the case, but made little effort to hide his disdain for Hikind, who once tried to get him fired.

Like the candidate, the audience was Orthodox and likely to be staunch in its defense of Israel. So Noach Dear lost no time in making his pitch explicit.
“We have how many shomer Shabbos politicians?” he asked the Sunday morning bagels-and-cream-cheese crowd gathered to hear him at the Young Israel of Far Rockaway last month, using the term for Sabbath observers. Touting his campaign to represent them in Congress, Dear urged, “This is a way to contribute to the community.”